33© 2020 Laura Richards (CC BY)

6Head in the clouds – innovating classroom practice using online file sharing for collaboration and feedback

Laura Richards1

Abstract

Navigating the shift towards blended learning in Higher Education (HE) provides opportunities for enhancing language teaching in the classroom. This paper will present a Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) -based project which aims to create a more collaborative and interactive classroom using open access file sharing services which focuses on developing collaborative writing practices and enhancing feedback loops. Using a Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication (SCMC) approach to co-creating texts, students participated in a series of related in-class group writing tasks where feedback was recorded digitally. Both a survey and focus group were used to assess students’ experience and use of the texts and feedback created. Results revealed a positive response to the use of SCMC for collaborative writing stemming from easier text manipulation and greater discussion of both textual and linguistic features, which is crucial to collaborative writing.

Keywords: technology-enhanced learning, feedback, collaborative writing, EAP.

1. University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom; l.e.a.richards@leeds.ac.uk

How to cite this chapter: Richards, L. (2020). Head in the clouds – innovating classroom practice using online file sharing for collaboration and feedback. In A. Plutino, K. Borthwick & E. Corradini (Eds), Innovative language teaching and learning at university: treasuring languages (pp. 33-39). Research-publishing.net. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2020.40.1063

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2020.40.1063https://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.14705/rpnet.2020.40.1063&domain=pdf&date_stamp=2020-04-20

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1. Introduction

As HE practitioners navigate the shift towards blended learning (Porter, Graham, Spring, & Welch, 2014) opportunities arise for enhancing language teaching in the classroom. At the same time, the increasing internationalisation of universities (Harvey, 2016) has prompted institutions to search for ways to support international students and fulfil their duty to create a hospitable academic environment (Ploner, 2018). With a strong indicator of success for international students being English proficiency (Trenkic & Warmingham, 2019), practitioners are constantly searching for new ways to support them which may include specialised software or digital services.

This paper will present a TEL-based project aimed at creating a more collaborative and interactive classroom using open access file sharing services. This project focused on developing collaborative writing practices and enhancing peer and teacher-learner feedback loops.

2. Method

2.1. Procedure

An action research methodology was used (Norton, 2009) to investigate the effect of activities based around the use of shared and editable files on Microsoft OneDrive (part of Office 365). Using a SCMC approach (Lin, Huang, & Liou, 2013) to co-creating texts, students participated in a series of related in-class group writing tasks that were conducted in shared online files. These activities included writing a report methodology (Figure 1), improving an abstract, and correcting an isolated sentence. Following this, the texts produced were anonymously displayed and analysed by the group, allowing both participants and tutor to analyse features of language produced by other groups, recording the feedback directly on to the shared document (Figure 2). Students were also invited to present and comment on individual pieces of writing shared in online documents (Figure 3).

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Figure 1. Example of collaborative student writing shared online

Figure 2. Example of annotated student writing

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Figure 3. Student and tutor comments on individual student writing

2.2. Participants

The participants were a mixed-gender class of 16 pre-undergraduate foundation year students all going into Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects and aged between 16 and 23 who had already studied at the university for a semester. They attended 8 hours of study skills classes per week and all regarded themselves as competent digital users.

2.3. Data collection

Quantitative data collected in an online survey (of 11 respondents) (see Supplementary materials, Appendix 1) was initially used to inform questions used to collect qualitative data in a semi-structured student focus group (of 3 respondents) which were recorded and transcribed (Supplementary materials, Appendix 2). Comparison was drawn with similar traditional group writing activities to determine whether or not students felt the process was enhanced through SCMC and how comfortable they felt writing in this way. A thematic analysis (Norton, 2009) was then conducted to analyse the data.

3. Results and discussion

Preliminary results revealed a positive response to the use of SCMC for collaborative writing, stemming from easier text manipulation and greater

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discussion of both the textual and linguistic features which are crucial to collaborative writing (Storch, 2019). Viewing and analysing multiple texts in real-time (Fagan, 2015) allowed participants to notice – and then later review – features of language and genre in a way previously impossible. Data from the survey suggested a largely positive response to the use of SCMC in the classroom. All students found Microsoft OneDrive easy to access and 9 of 11 said it was easy to share files.

All students said they used the feedback created in class to help them understand assignments and 73% said they looked at the specific feedback they received in class. Just over half of students said they looked at feedback given to other students. Feedback from the focus group supported these findings and provided clarification and insight into the results. Students commented that it was much easier to review work through OneDrive and believed they would not have done some if they had relied on paper. They also commented on the speed and volume of feedback that was created during classes and how this helped them to understand their assignments much better as a result of having annotated writing tasks to refer to. One student also commented that being able to see other student’s mistakes gave him confidence and perspective in reflecting on his own work.

4. Conclusions and limitations

In line with previous studies, perceived benefit of blended learning was high (López-Pérez, López-Pérez, & Rodríguez-Ariza, 2011). Despite the preliminary nature of these findings, use of SCMC in this form appears to be welcomed by learners and most certainly provided opportunities for interaction with each other and interaction with the texts created in a way that students found beneficial. For the practitioner, the capacity to give more dynamic and responsive feedback captured and stored in real-time provided versatility and utility in classroom interaction. Future research may not only seek to determine the impact of this feedback and collaborative writing method on more quantitative outcomes such as assessment performance, but also investigate approaches to increasing student

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engagement and utility. As suggested in the focus group, learner training may increase uptake and utilisation. However, this is not only an issue for learners but also a barrier to practitioner adoption. If this form of classroom interaction is to be deployed beyond isolated individuals, the conceptual, practical, and epistemological barriers must be overcome; as must the stability of institutional internet connections.

5. Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the students and tutors of the International Foundation Year at the University of Leeds for their feedback and support. I would also like to thank Joy Robbins for acting as my mentor for this project.

6. Supplementary materials

https://research-publishing.box.com/s/fvew84qtk2fbqv1yi16ptxdepga4kczs

References

Fagan, D. S. (2015). Managing language errors in real-time: a microanalysis of teacher practices. System, 55, 74-85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2015.09.004

Harvey, L. (2016). ‘I am Italian in the world’: a mobile student’s story of language learning and ideological becoming. Language and Intercultural Communication, 16(3), 363-383. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2016.1168049

Lin, W., Huang, H., & Liou, H. (2013). The effects of text-based SCMC on SLA: a meta-analysis. Language Learning & Technology, 17(2), 123-142.

López-Pérez, M., López-Pérez, M., & Rodríguez-Ariza, L. (2011). Blended learning in higher education: students’ perceptions and their relation to outcomes. Computers & Education, 56(3), 818-826. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2010.10.023

Norton, L. (2009). Action research in teaching and learning. Routledge.

https://research-publishing.box.com/s/fvew84qtk2fbqv1yi16ptxdepga4kczshttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2015.09.004https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2016.1168049https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2010.10.023

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Ploner, J. (2018). International students’ transitions to UK higher education – revisiting the concept and practice of academic hospitality. Journal of Research in International Education, 17(2), 164-178. https://doi.org/10.1177/1475240918786690

Porter, W., Graham, C., Spring, K., & Welch, K. (2014). Blended learning in higher education: institutional adoption and implementation. Computers & Education, 75, 185-195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2014.02.011

Storch, N. (2019). Research timeline: collaborative writing. Language Teaching, 52(1), 40-59.Trenkic, D., & Warmingham, M. (2019). Language and literacy skills of home and international

university students: how different are they, and does it matter? Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 22(2), 349-365. https://doi.org/10.1017/s136672891700075x

https://doi.org/10.1177/1475240918786690https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2014.02.011https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2014.02.011https://doi.org/10.1017/s136672891700075x

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